WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- The number of female law clerks working for the U.S. Supreme Court has dropped sharply, despite the steady number of female law school graduates.
For the current session of the court, seven of the 37 clerks hired by justices are women, marking the first time the number has fallen below 10 since 1994, The New York Times reported Wednesday. Meanwhile, the number of annual female law school graduates has grown by 4,000 since that same year.
By comparison, 14 of the 43 law clerks hired by the court at the same time last year were women, the Times said.
Justice David Souter, who has not hired any female clerks this year, said the drop was likely a random variation among the applicants.
Souter's assessment was echoed by Justice Stephen Breyer, who has hired women for two of his four clerk positions this year. Breyer, who has hired more women than any other member of the court, said the gender of his hires is the result of his choosing the best available candidates.
